The present disclosure relates to the structural body of a vehicle and to weight reduction thereof.
Automotive manufacturers are continuing to reduce the weight of passenger cars to meet the increasing government regulations on fuel efficiency and reducing emissions. The structural body of a vehicle, commonly known as the body-in-white (BIW), is a vehicle's largest structure, and therefore ideal for weight reduction considerations. Body-in-white refers to the welded sheet metal components which form the vehicles structure to which the other components will be married, i.e., the engine, the chassis, the exterior and interior trim, the seats, etc. Reducing body weight, however, involves a trade-off with body stiffness, a key characteristic which influences vehicle dynamics, durability, and crash worthiness.
This generates the need to design a BIW having reduced weight, without sacrificing durability and crash worthiness.